The Rockies’ Justin Morneau high fives teammate Colorado Rockies Carlos Gonzalez after hitting a three-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, April 27, 2015, in Phoenix. (Matt York, The Associated Press)

SAN DIEGO — Rockies manager Walt Weiss is aware of the numbers.

He knows that first baseman Justin Morneau has hit Padres ace James Shields well — a .320 average (16-for-50) with four home runs. Still, Weiss sat Morneau, as well as Troy Tulowitzki, for Sunday’s game against the Padres.

Morneau is not hurt, but he is 0-for-8 in this series.

“There is nothing going on, it’s just a day I targeted for both of them” Weiss said before the game, as the Rockies attempted to break their four-game losing streak.

PEORIA, Ariz. — The Rockies’ big offseason pitching acquisition threw against the Padres’ big signing Friday night at Peoria Stadium. It was likely one of several this season.

And Kyle Kendrick, Colorado’s $5.5 million arm, walked off in better shape than James Shields, San Diego’s $75 million man.

Kendrick gave three runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He threw 81 pitches (50 for strikes) but a big chunk came in his final inning. Shields also went 4 1/3, with three runs and six hits. He threw 95 pitches (65 strikes).

It won’t be long before Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado will be swinging his bat during spring training. (Rob Tringali, Getty Images)

Cleaning out my Rockies notebook as I start prepping for spring training. I head to Scottsdale on Feb. 18.

As I noted in my Sunday column, the Rockies were historically bad on the road last season, winning just 21 games.

But this I didn’t realize: Of the Rockies’ 21 road victories, eight of them came in April when the Rockies went 16-13 overall and 8-9 on the road. That means that between May and September, the Rockies went 13-51 on the road. Thanks to Rox fan Robby Laitos for pointing out that statistic.

I talked to manager Walt Weiss about his club’s road woes the other day. He knows the Rockies absolutely have to play better away from Coors Field. How will they attempt to do it? That’s something I’ll explore in-depth when I get to Scottsdale.

Wilin Rosario spent a full week at the team’s training complex in Scottsdale, Ariz., earlier this month. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

Catching up on various Rockies rumors and reports:

* General manager Jeff Bridich tells me that the team is confident that catcher Wilin Rosario can make the transition from catcher to first base, and possibly even right field.

Rosario spent a full week at the team’s training complex in Scottsdale, Ariz., earlier this month, working at first base and the outfield. He will also spend time at the team’s academy in the Dominican Republic before reporting for spring training around Feb. 20.

“I think Wilin has the athletic ability to do this, and he certainly has the work ethic,” Bridich said.

That said, Rosario still will be considered a catcher when he reports to spring training. The other catchers in the mix are newcomer Nick Hundley and Mike McKenry.

So what can the Rockies buy in free agency with that $12 million they’re saving on Anderson when they try to replace him in their rotation?

On the surface, Colorado’s options are plenty. But there are plenty of restrictions. You can scratch Max Scherzer and Jon Lester and their ilk off the Rockies’ wish list. That’s too much wishing for the price.

Brett Anderson. (Justin K. Aller, Getty Images)

The Rockies also have to face perception. It’s more difficult for them to get many free-agent pitches to even consider pitching in Colorado.

That’s why Anderson’s real value with the Rockies wasn’t necessarily his ability — although he certainly has the potential to be a top-rotation pitcher (he could have been their ace next season). The best perk the Rockies had with Anderson was that he was under contract. And he actually seemed like he liked pitching in Denver.

It may have been wiser for the Rockies to pick up Anderson’s option, then try to trade him before spring training. If they struck out in trades, the Rox would at least still have a solid starter on the rolls.

But that’s in the past. And the Rockies now need a new starting-quality pitcher for their rotation. Otherwise, we’ll see the phrase “LHP starting pitcher Yohan Flande…” real soon.

So what are the Rockies’ options for free-agent pitchers? Remember: They will pay Jorge De La Rosa, their current ace, $12.5 million per year for the next two. Use that as a guide post.

Here’s a list with some guesses, loosely ranked and categorized by the likelihood they’ll wear purple next season (estimates are guesses based on similar pitcher’s past deals):

Colorado Rockies’ Wilin Rosario celebrates his three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Coors Field on April 21, 2014 in Denver. (Doug Pensinger, Getty Images)

The Bull is almost back.

Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario has reported to Triple-A Colorado Springs and will play a couple of rehab games for the Sky Sox beginning Friday, but manager Walt Weiss confirmed that Rosario could be back in the Rockies’ lineup on Sunday for the series finale vs. the Padres. That is the day Rosario is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list.

Rosario and infielder Josh Rutledge were both decked by a nasty virus, but not just any virus.

“They didn’t just have a bug, they had Type-B influenza — the real flu,” trainer Keith Dugger said. “That can wipe you out for a month. Wilin had a temperature over 103.”

After Lorenzo Cain hammered a two-run home run in the fourth inning Tuesday to put the Royals ahead of the Rockies 4-1, something felt different.

The Rockies remain the best offense in baseball. They almost routinely score eight or more runs in a game. Their run differential entering Tuesday (plus-55) was the second-best in baseball behind only Oakland. So a three-run deficit is not like a mountain to climb for Colorado.

But this felt different. It felt like the game was over at the halfway point. And it was.

What’s up: The Rockies haven’t played well, or often, in Kansas City. In fact, they are 1-5 at K.C. and haven’t played there since 2010. And when the Rockies face the Royals on Tuesday, they will have to deal with Shields, one of baseball’s best right-handers.

Background: Kansas City is looking to end a postseason drought that dates to its 1985 World Series championship. It’s the longest dry spell in baseball. But this year, the Royals were tabbed dark-horse darlings by a lot of baseball prognosticators — and Shields is a big reason. When he is on his game, he dominates hitters. Since making his major-league debut in 2006, he has pitched 22 games with at least 10 strikeouts. After a sluggish beginning this year, he has won four of his past five starts.

Saunders’ take: Back in 2010, there were rumors that the Rockies were interested in trading for Shields. I didn’t think it was a good idea, mostly because Shields gives up a lot of flyballs. That said, he’s a tremendous pitcher and a tenacious competitor. He’s coming off a seven-inning scoreless outing in an 8-0 victory over the Padres on Wednesday. “I didn’t think my stuff was that good,” Shields told reporters after the game. “I was all over the place, getting behind in counts a lot. It was a grind day, but sometimes you’ve got to go out there without your good stuff and compete, and that is what I did.” Shields is the kind of pitcher who gives the Rockies trouble, particularly on the road.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.